How to tell if a ridge vent was installed correctly
Roofers sometimes install ridge vents just for appearance without cutting the roof decking underneath, but standard visual checks or endoscope cameras can fail to confirm the cutout. Without knowing if the gap or missing shingle near the end is a defect or normal, homeowners are left guessing whether they need to pay for repairs.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1using an endoscope camera to check hidden areas
- 2Cutting out the blocking material from the inside using a box cutter
- 3Checking attic ventilation with a fog machine
- 4Contacting the contractor or roofer to inspect and fix the installation
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Roofers should have cut it out before installing the ridgevent. Someone just screwed up.”source ↗
“We moved into this brand new house in May and roasted all summer on the top floor. While looking around at the insulation depth today, we found this material covering the entire length of the ridge vent. Is this right?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 4Are open cavity vent returns and exposed pipes normal in new construction?
- 4Are powered attic roof vents actually worth it?
- 7Will my DIY water heater installation pass inspection?
- 2Roof vents installed off-center and poorly aligned
- 5Are gutter guards actually worth it with heavy rain?
- 8Is newly finished contractor work actually acceptable?